What are your beliefs / experience regarding age and maximum level reached?

I'm asking a question I believe everybody did ask himself: "which rank can I expect to reach?"

Besides, 1d kgs is a pretty arbitrary goal in itself.

Instead, why not ask "What do I need to do in order to become stronger?". If you can identify that (it will change over time), and work on it consistently, you'll be progressing. You'll be busy taking steps to bridge the gap of current reality and fluffy dreams, instead of focusing on the gap.

I'm asking a question I believe everybody did ask himself: "which rank can I expect to reach?"
When I started go, I knew it was a tough game but I thought anyone could reach shodan if they really want to.
I don't believe this anymore.
I'm in my mid-thirties, started go 1.5 year ago and reached 6k KGS, a very humble level. I've got no doubt I can make some more progress (and will try to) but even within 4-5 years time, I'm clearly not confident to be able to reach shodan level.

Did someone here started at about my age and managed to reach 1d KGS? Do you know of some people who did?
What are your beliefs / experience regarding age and maximum level reached?

[*] The enemy you have to beat is yourself, what others do is of no significance.

I started in my late 30's, after 5 years I've reached 1k (kgs). I'm finding it hard to progress (been at this level for quite a while now). My recommendations are: tsumego, and get a teacher. These two things make the most noticeable difference to me.

A player at my club started at about my age, and has reached 2d, took him 15+ years, although of course most of that time he was only playing weekly, against local players (pre-kgs/igs time). I feel I can reach his level, and perhaps a stone or two stronger, so long as I avoid doing bad things (e.g. playing thoughtless blitz games) and concentrate on doing good things (e.g. tsumego, playing serious games and getting them reviewed by a teacher).

Having said all that, I do think rank fixation is unhealthy. While its sometimes useful as a motivation tool, it can ruin the game too, especially when you experience unavoidable slumps.

There's a reason for it.
I know a few people of this level who mentioned that they reach a plateau at this level.
wms is stating that at 1000 games played, he is now stabilized at 1k-1d level.

This is my target: I don't have higher expectations at this stage.

What I really would like to know is if others, starting at my age, did manage to get there...

Late thirties, 5 years, 1k KGS... That's the kind of things I was hoping to read. Thanks for sharing.
Just a couple questions:
* Which part of the world do you live in?
* When mentioning a teacher, did you mean face to face or online? Which level was your teacher which helped you to get to 1K?

FWIW, people plateau at all levels. It's just that 1d sticks out because that's where the dan ranks start and many people have that as a goal. I don't think it's anything special about that particular plateau. I believe I have seen numbers that more people plateau at 5k or thereabouts. But I understand your point, I just felt the urge to type something

FWIW, people plateau at all levels. It's just that 1d sticks out because that's where the dan ranks start and many people have that as a goal. I don't think it's anything special about that particular plateau. I believe I have seen numbers that more people plateau at 5k or thereabouts. But I understand your point, I just felt the urge to type something

I think that 5k is a very common plateau. Lot's of people reach it, some even without much effort. Also, if I recall correctly, the peak of the rank/population graph is around 5k. It doesn't really make sense to set yourself a goal there, that would mean that you'll be just "average"

South Africa.

Face to face teaching - occasionally, but strong players don't really exist in South Africa (Roseduke aside), so this would rely on rare visits from strong players.
Online teaching - yes. Had a Chinese 5d teaching me weekly for a few months, helped me move from 2k to 1k, and I'm sure I would have progressed further, if she'd been able to keep teaching me. Reading about direction of play is so abstract, and so hard to apply to your personal understanding and faults, that I find it almost useless. A good teacher can correct your conceptual faults far more effectively than you can on your own.

But I can't stress tsumego enough. Any teacher you get will tell you the same. "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory" is a quote you may have heard. So a teacher can improve your thinking about the game, but you have to have the reading to carry it out. I have found this the hardest thing to get better at.